New Pope a surprise, ‘another John’

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 1

New Pope a surprise, ‘another John’

NZPA-Reuter Rome Pope John Paul I spoke to the world for the first time yesterday after his surprise election at one of the shortest papal conclaves.

The new leader of the world’s 700 M Roman Catholics, a socialist glassworker’s son who has little experience of the Vatican, gave the traditional midday blessing and homily from the balcony of St Peter’s.

The Pontiff, aged 65, who has been Archbishop of Venice since 1969, is regarded as an openminded moderate but against communism and strongly opposed to social reforms such as divorce and abortion. No date has been set for the coronation of the former Cardinal Albino Luciani, who had not been considered among the most likely to succeed Pope Paul VI. Many Vatican observers are already predicting that he could develop into the same type of pope as his old mentor, the jovial and compassionate John XXIII. In picking him as the 263rd Pontiff, the College of Cardinals has clearly chosen a pastor rather than a politician, diplomat, or theologian. The Pontiff’s unprecedented choice of a double name was seen as a gesture of homage to Pope John and Pope Paul and an indication that he would continue their policies of cautious reform. Pope John Paul, who has spent a lifetime in the Italian provinces and never worked for the central administration of the Church, is described by friends and fellow cardinals as a man of purpose and reflection. The election of the bespectacled, grey-haired Archbishop started church bells peeling throughout Venice and the country village where he was born. Friends and his few living relatives watched on television as he came to the balcony of St Peter’s

on Saturday night to give his first apostolic blessing and offer a warm, easy smile to the thousands of faithful gathered in the square. “I have always known that I should never be surprised by anything he did,”

said his only surviving brother, Edoardo, surrounded by 11 children at their family home in Canale d’Agordo at the foot of the Dolomites. “I always knew he might remain a country pastor or rise to the very top.” The Pope’s parents died years ago. He has kept close links with his brother and his sister, Nina, who is married and living in a nearby village, through frequent trips to Canale d’Agordo. The new Pontiff was ordained in 1935. He was elected at only the second voting session of the conclave of 111 cardinals. Around the world, initial surprise then enthusiasm characterised the reaction of churchmen and politicians to the cardinals’ choice. But the rebel French Archbishop. Marcel Lefebvre, in conflict with the Vatican because he opposes its reforms, had no comment. President Carter welcomed Pope John Paul’s election and said his voice could be an inspiration and hope for people around the world seeking peace, justice, and life with dignity. Cardinal Carlo Confalionieri, the Dean of the Sac? red College of Cardinals, described the new Pope as “a man of great simplicity, honesty, and reflection.” The new Pontiff backed Pope Paul’s stand against birth control and makes no secret of his rejection of innovations such as the opening of the priesthood to women.

He has always urged support for the Christian Democrats, Italy’s ruling Roman Catholic party, and led a group of bishops demanding a solid Catholic vote for the party in the face of the Communist advance in the General Ejection of 1976.

Strictly observing the code of secrecy that surrounds the conclave, a Vatican spokesman, Romeo Oanciroli, gave no details of Pope John Paul’s election but hinted strongly that he had been chosen almost unanimously. Like Pope John, the new man seems set to strip the office of as much pomp and ceremony as possible. He has a simple, spartan life style, rising early and working late. “I eat like a bird,” he said recently. The new Pope is on record as condemning contraception, abortion, and “ideologies which endanger the faith.”

Of the recent birth of a "test-tube” baby. Cardinal Luciani said on August 3, “I have no right to condemn the parents and I send them my good wishes. If they have acted in good faith and with pure intentions they could be high in the eyes of God for asking doctors to intervene.” But he said that the pos sibility of “test-tube” babies carried grave risks.

In a sermon in December, 1976, he said it was necessary to "combat a certain kind of capitalism which has been the source of so much suffering, injustice, and fratricidal fighting.” He also warned against Marxist doctrine which used Leninist or Stalinist strategies. He said he was speaking about extreme capitalism and communism because of his concern for the faith.

(Further report Page 8)